The Time that Binds
by NightElfCrawler
Summary: (work in progress) Rosette Christopher meets a strange young man while she's training to become a Sister of the Magdale Order...
1. Default Chapter

_Disclaimer: I do not own this lovely concept they belong to Moriyama-sensei, and those companies that bought the rights n what not… I claim no ownership…darn it._ The Time that Binds 

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Chapter one: The boy who Lived… upstairs 

"Damn it…"

Rosette Christopher wasn't one to swear a lot, after all…she was a nun-in-training. But sometimes she just couldn't help herself. And this was one of those times.

She rubbed her knee in irritation, as she saw bruising begin to form even now. That stupid table just SHOULDN'T have been in the way!

The young blonde girl sighed, and shoved the heavy wooden doors open, heading out into the bright sunshine beyond.

She'd been here for a year now, and it was almost time for her exams to finally be promoted into the rank of Sister of the Magdale Order. It was an exciting time, one where she would finally get to show her strength in defeating monsters, demons, and ghosts in order to defend people.

It would also bring her closer to being able to find her brother.

She bit her lip as she ran across the wide green expanse of the lawn, heading towards a small cottage on the very perimeter of the grounds. The cottage was something right out of a fairy tale, overgrown in ivy and moss, it's thick stone blocks worn with age and time. There was even a small stained glass window near the roof's apex, shining gently as the rays of the morning sun hit it.

Amazing that this serene place out of a dream was home to a vile old man.

Rosette grumbled, and knocked, then pushed the door open. Sister Kate, the headmistress of the New York Order, had sent her here in order to fetch the Elder for an important issue, and of course she happened to be the closest messanger. She hated going out to see the Elder, since the perverted old man stopped at nothing short of spying on her bloomers at every opportunity.

So this time, she had a heavy book ready, just in case.

"Elder?" She called into the large open room, filled with all sorts of mechanisms, devices, tubes, and frightening equiptment. It was a laboratory, and a creepy one at that. She could see dried demon parts in jars along the walls, as well as the occasional cross ward laying on a table. She shuddered a bit, glancing around with wide-eyes. She always was weirded out coming down here... The Elder might be a genius, but then you had to remember all geniuses were weird.

"Elder?" She called a second time, realizing now that the lights were all off. Apparently, he honestly wasn't here… there had been a few times he'd fooled her, but usually he made a move after a few moments.

She sighed. Great, Sister Kate wouldn't like this one bit. She was in a foul mood, hopping mad, and Rosette did NOT want to be the one to be at the end of an explosion on her part. She sighed, and toyed with one of the broken cross wards on the table, spinning it around as she thought out what to tell the headmistress.

She paused, as she heard something strange… it was… singing?

Rosette blinked, and turned her head back towards the rear of the cottage, where she had never been permitted to go. There were testing rooms there, and several warded closets which she only assumed contained dangerous objects. But… the singing was coming from that direction.

Convinced the Elder was back there toying with something or other, Rosette figured she couldn't get in too much trouble, since she was here to find him. She started forward, weaving through the lab carefully as not to bump into anything, and came to a stop before a heavy cement door, with a strange intricate cross ward woven upon it in thick heavy iron. She blinked up at it, and put her ear to the door, and heard the singing grow louder. Yes, someone was in there.

But should she open it?

She chewed on her lip. Well, there couldn't be anyone else here, though she thought the singing didn't quite sound deep enough for an old man…

"Bah, no sense wasting time, Rosette." She muttered to herself, and with a firm shove, she grabbed the handle, and opened the door. She was amazed that it actually came open easily, but the moment she pushed the door aside, the cross ward that had been gleaming slightly in the dim light, lost it's shine, and she realized the barrier had deactivated.

The singing was definitely louder.

She slowly peeked in, and stared upwards as a winding staircase rose higher up, turning a sharp curve as she entered a very narrow steep tower. She'd never realized there was a second floor to this place…but then it made sense. She'd never seen the cut window on the bottom here, but she could see the intricate stain glass from the outside.

She slowly began to climb the stairs, leaving the door open as she left it behind, and followed the soft sound of singing. The voice could be heard with more clarity now, it was a soft tenor of a young man, singing something soft and nostaligic, the words coming to her ears and causing strong emotions to well up. What sadness….

She reached the top of the stairs, and peered into the room beyond, holding onto the wall for support, not sure if she should reveal her presence yet. Her eyes widened at the scene beyond.

The whole top section was very close to the ceiling, and in fact if someone had been taller, they would have to weave between the wooden rafters that hung low to the ground. As it was, her head would barely clear it, she realized. The room was quite large, otherwise, and ran the full length of the upper floor. A small desk was pushed against the right wall, with a lamp placed upon it, and several sheets of paper as well. Three bookshelves were leaned against the other wall, all filled to overflowing with books, some even stacked on top in haphazard piles. A small bed with rumpled sheets was pressed against the very far corner nearest the large stained glass window, that sent dancing rays of colored light reflecting all over the room like rainbows.

A curious thing to note, was there were shining cross wards on every corner of the room, and a few dotting the ceiling on either side of the window, cutting off any possible exit with an invisible holy barrier…

The most amazing thing, however, wasn't the fact that someone obviously lived here, it was the person in question, who was sitting on the bed crosslegged, a book resting in his lap, his head tilted back against the wall, eyes closed, as he sang softly, apparently to the sky and no one but himself.

Rosette blinked as she studied him. He was a kid, no older than she. His skin was a bit darker, and his hair was longer, spilling down around him in long dark pools of violet. He wore a simple white shirt that was untucked from black pants, and missing a few buttons, as it opened wide onto his chest. White socks that looked as if they had seen many years of use covered his feet, but Rosette could see no sign of any shoes.

She wasn't sure what to think of this situation, but she had never been a shy girl. She stepped up onto the floor, and started forward. "Hey!" She greeted cheerfully, causing the boy to jump, stop singing, and stare at her with startled wide crimson eyes. "What are you doing up here?"

He clearly appeared surprised, blinking at her with wide eyes. "Um." His eyes peered at her curiously, with a hint of something else…worry? Or was it excitement? "I could ask you the same thing."

"Yeah, but I asked you first!" She said, coming to a stop in front of his bed, arms crossed firmly with her stubborn nature showing.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and his face broke out into a warm grin. "Ah, right. Well, I live here."

"I've never seen you here before. Kinda a weird place to live…why are you here?" Rosette pressed, her curiosity overcoming the caution that she shouldn't probably be here.

"Well…" He started, rubbing the back of his head rather awkwardly.

"Ahh! I get it!!" Her blue eyes shot open wide in horror. "You're that sick pervert's plaything! Forced to stay here locked up and be the tool of his sick games!!!"

The young man's face turned bright green, and a very sickly expression crossed his face, as he stared at her with wide shocked eyes. "Ugh… um… no…"

"Oh wait, I know!" She continued, her eyes narrowing as she jammed a finger up to the sky. "You're an unwanted orphan who had no place to stay, and they kindly took you in but had to hide you from the mafia since you're really the heir to a big fortune!"

He just blinked at her, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as she spouted off a few more nonsense ideas, before sighing, and plopping down on the floor in front of his bed. "Right… well… it was fun thinking up something that'd be in a book, ya know."

He smiled warmly down at her, and slid off the bed, to join her stationed on the floor. "Yeah, I guess it would be fun…"

"I'm Rosette." She offered, sticking a hand out to him. "Rosette Christopher."

The boy smiled as he grasped her hand firmly. "Chrno."

"So, what ARE you really doing up here?"

"I should really be asking you that." He smiled a bit, scratching the back of his head. "Did the Elder allow you up here? No one else has ever been permitted up before."

"Ah… no." Rosette coughed a bit. "I was looking for the Elder, and heard you singing… and well…" She shrugged. "I was curious."

His smile never faultered, as he laughed softly. "Well I must say I'm honored for the visit."

Rosette's eyes strayed around the small room. Some of the books looked very old, and she could see thick dust on the rafters above, slowly drifting down through the multi-colored sunbeams streaming through the rosary window. "So, you're another orphan, right? But since the Order only employs Sisters, they figured you could help the Elder out instead, is that it?"

His glittering crimson eyes studied her, then joined his smile. "Something like that, yes."

"Must be boring up here all by yourself."

Chrno smiled kindly at her. "I enjoy reading."

Rosette felt the sudden cold feeling of nostalgia grasp her heart, and she visibly froze for a moment, causing the boy sitting next to her to look concerned.

"What's wrong?"

"Well… it's just…" she looked down, then back up at him, her eyes somewhat haunted. "You remind me of my brother… a little."

His eyebrow rose, curiously, but he said nothing, as they remained in silence, until finally she spoke again, somehow taking comfort in the fact, here was someone whom she could talk to without fear of being judged. He seemed to be a good listener, and no one else she had talked to had ever been willing to hear her story.

"My brother was… taken a few years ago… that's why I came here. He just… disappeared one day. No one knew what happened to him. I searched everywhere… he was a lot like you, he liked to read… but that was because he was sick a lot… I had to take care of him, and we'd sneak out into the woods once and a while, and run around having fun." She sighed, and looked down, clasping her hands tightly together. "I miss him so much… Once I become a Sister, I plan on going to look for him. I know he's out there somewhere. He needs me to find him, and I will one day… one day…" She sniffed a bit, and felt warm tears fill her eyes suddenly.

A gentle hand brushed at her cheek, and she looked up to see the smiling face of Chrno tilted towards her, as he brushed her tears away with a thumb. "I'm sure you will find him…something that precious can't be lost forever. Don't worry. You'll find him one day. And you two will find happiness, I'm certain."

Rosette blinked down at him, a bit surprised that a complete stranger could care so much, and show so much sympathy for her plight. A trembling smile crept up her face, and she suddenly threw her arms forward, and pulled him into a tight hug, as she briefly let her tears spill out, into the soft hair that fell over his shoulder.

At first, he seemed frozen with surprise, but then, he slowly lifted his hand, and rubbed her back comfortingly, just letting her cry until she had no more tears left.

She pulled back, smiling, wiping the tears from her face, and rubbing her nose. "T..thanks… that helped."

"Rosette!" A sudden voice from behind her, startled her into whirling around, with a small 'eek', to see the Elder standing there in the doorway to the stairwell, looking rather surprised. "What on earth are you doing up here?"

"Um." Her eyes darted guiltily over at Chrno, who looked suddenly very awkward. "I just.. uh well… I was looking for you, and…"

The Elder sighed, and rubbed his temples lightly. "Maa, never mind, no harm done…" He walked forward, and glanced over at Chrno with a raised eyebrow, and the small boy simply shrugged lightly, which made Rosette wonder yet again why the boy was here. "Well, since you've met Chrno, I need to ask you to keep quiet about him being here, Rosette." The Elder's voice was serious, and while it wasn't stern, she wouldn't want to test that authority he might have by disobeying him. "Not many people know about him, and Sister Kate wants to keep it that way, ok?"

Rosette blinked, not sure why that was so, but knowing it was best she probably didn't ask. "Ok… but…" She threw a hopeful glance over at Chrno as he stood up, and she too scrambled to her feet. "…is it ok if I come back and visit him?"

The Elder blinked, looking very surprised, and threw a contemplative look at Chrno, who was scratching his nose awkwardly, before a smile came across his grizzled features. "Well technically I'd get in trouble if I allowed you… however…" His be-goggled eyes twinkled a bit. "Since Chrno doesn't seem to mind the company, as long as you stop by when I'm around, I don't see a problem."

Rosette's face brightened, and she jumped up and down briefly, before remembering herself, coughing and apologizing quickly, throwing a bright sunny smile at Chrno, who returned it cheerfully. "Then, I'll see you later, ok?!" She grinned, and waved, then turned running back down the stairs, taking two at a time.

The Elder shook his head, and glanced back at the small boy who simply sat back down on the bed, an amused smile on his face. "How much did you tell her?"

"Nothing at all. I learned more about her, actually."

The Elder nodded in satisfaction and shrugged with a grin. "Well, this should prove interesting… actually, now I can have you help out around the lab without worrying she might come bounding in. It's a good thing Sister Kate always sends her to fetch me, rather than one of the other girls."

"You just like looking up her skirt the most."

"Well she has a fine bottom."

"Pervert."

"Hmph, you just don't appreciate the female figure."

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_Author's note: Ok, after finishing Denizens of Darkness, Harbringers of Light, I needed something a bit more… fluffy. And what perfect way than to introduce another scenario that might have happened. This idea is roughly based off one of the two CC rps I'm in, but obviously it's quite different than that story. See if you who are reading, or participating in them, can figure out which one I'll be working on a fic based on the OTHER one as well, once I get a clearer idea._

_This fic will focus more on the relationship between the two of them, less action, more waff No big mega plot, at least not yet I don't have it all planned out yet, I'm just going off what I come out with on the spur of the moment with this'n! Enjoy!_

_Oh, it's also going to be shorter chapters, more episodic, and probably most definitely a shorter length o.o Do you realize, Denizens was 280 pages? yeah. It was 125,806 words too. shuts up _


	2. Chapter Two: My Secret Demon Friend

_Disclaimer: I do not own this lovely concept they belong to Moriyama-sensei, and those companies that bought the rights n what not… I claim no ownership…darn it._ The Time that Binds 

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Chapter two: My secret demon friend 

"Why do I always get stuck with these crappy chores…" Rosette grumbled, as she slammed the mop into it's bucket, and sloshed it back out once more as she scrubbed the floor. "Dust the cabinets, wash the floor… I'm a regular Cinderella…"

She sighed, as she finished, and deposited the empty bucket and soggy mop back in the cabinet with another grumble, before she yawned wide, and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost ten pm, but she was still wide awake, though she was tired from doing her work.

Her mind rushed back over the week's events, and a smile flashed over her face.

---- ---- ----

Her thrill at discovering a friend whom she could relate to was more than enough to get her through the day. She had bounced into classes, and even stayed quiet for a few which was a blessing for the nuns, and happily done her chores, whistling. Everyone was confounded, and amazed at the change of pace.

Rosette had been a moody, quiet, furious girl whose temper had been something no one wanted to cross…but now, she was completely transformed, and seemed to have brightened right up.

Of course, no one knew it was because she had a secret.

The first few nights, she hadn't been able to sneak out, but on the third, she had slipped down the ivy crawling up the side of the building, and made her way to the Elder's cottage.

The Elder laughed seeing her knock upon his door. "Rosette. Sneaking out late might get you in trouble!"

"Aww come on old man…I came all the way out here!" she whined with cute wide eyes.

The old man couldn't resist, and just let her in with a chuckle. "Yes yes, come on in. I'll go get Chrno." He shut the door, and shook his head amused, and opened the door in the back. "Chrno! Rosette's here, come on down."

The soft footsteps of the young boy sounded not long after, and he poked his head curiously out of the doorway, hair falling loosely around his shoulders as he blinked. "Ah!" He smiled brightly, and took the last couple steps down as he spotted Rosette. "Rosette!"

"Hi!" She bounded over and grabbed his hand, pulling him enthusiastically after her. "Come on, let's go for a walk!"

"Ah.." The elder started to say with a frown.

Rosette fixed him with a stare. "Why not?"

Chrno blinked, raising his eyebrows at the Elder, in question.

The Elder frowned a bit, but shook his head. "Ok… very well. But stay within sight, and don't let anyone ELSE see you." He shook his head. "Goodness I hope Sister Kate doesn't find out about this…"

"Don't worry! Who's gonna tell her!" Rosette shot back, throwing the door open, and pulling him after her, out onto the grounds.

The air was crisp and cool, but not too chilly, and the moon and stars shone brightly in the dark sky above them. Rosette grinned and fought the urge not to giggle aloud, as she spun about in the moonlight, skirt flaring around her.

A light laugh from behind her caused her to stop, turning her smiling face over towards the dark-haired boy who stood there, hands behind his back, looking amused at her. "What's so funny!? Hey, come try it." She grabbed his hands, and refused to let go, promptly spinning him around, until he laughed out loud with her, and they both fell down onto the cool damp grass with soft laughter. They tried desperately to hide their voices from the night air, since they didn't wish to wake anyone.

Rosette rolled over, propping her fists under her chin as she glanced over at her companion, who was laying on his back, staring up at the sky, arms under his head as he smiled. "Ne, Chrno?" His eyes ripped away from the heavens to meet hers. "What do you suppose is up there?"

He blinked a little, and turned his head to the side, watching the moon. "Memories…Life…Aspects of the past for which we can only dream about."

thwump

"Ouch! What was that for?!" Chrno rubbed his face, as Rosette pulled her sweater back from thwapping him.

"You're weird. Definitely." She said firmly, peering over at him with glittering blue eyes. "You must believe in UFO's too?"

"Eh?"

"You know, aliens… who live in the stars, far away?"

"That's silly!" He laughed at that. "Wherever did you hear that?"

"Ah, read it in some of Joshua's books when I was younger." She said with a shrug. "I guess they did seem kinda silly if you think about it." Her eyes studied the stars. "But it's something to dream about…you know?"

"Sure." He replied easily, closing his eyes and enjoying the cool air as it drifted over them, rustling the grass against their faces. "Dreams are the things that keep us going through life."

She glanced over at him. Such a strange boy. He seemed to know more than he let on, yet he looked no older than she. What had he seen that she hadn't, that gave him such mature insight of the world? Why was he living in secret above the Elder, locked up like some kind of prisoner? It had to be something important, or she was certain there wouldn't be a reason to have such wards all over the place. Of course, Elder COULD just be paranoid too.

Whatever the reason…She was glad to have a friend.

Even if it was small things, such as waving to him through his window on her way to class, or finding an unexpected 'good luck' note scribbled and left in her shoe while weeding. For several months, it was as simple as that. He was a secret friend, whom she alone could go to with any of her problems, woes, and lonely concerns. He never judged, he just listened, then encouraged her to keep her chin up, and not let anything keep her down.

It was addictive, and they became close friends almost instantly.

So it went for six months. It had already reached the point where she couldn't bear a day not spent at least seeing his smiling face. Luckily, she'd mastered the stealthy ability of climbing out of her room, and escaping without a single person being the wiser.

And so, it was late one night, when she snuck inside the Elders' having smelled the sweet alluring scent of chocolate chip cookies, that things took a turn towards another direction.

"OI! You started without me!?" she poked her head over the violet haired boy's shoulder, now a good few inches taller than him. She'd had a sudden growth spurt the last several months, and the nuns were already complaining that she'd outgrown her socks and undergarments.

"Sorry!" Chrno peered back up at her, wide ruby eyes innocent, with a glint of mischief deep beneath as he held out the spoon, covered in sticky cookie dough goodness. "The Elder threatened to evict me to the closet if I didn't provide him a plate soon."

"Huh. Still you coulda waited by stuffing the old pervert's face with sugar." She plopped down on the couch, kicking her feet up as she munched the dough on the spoon, watching him as he bustled about the kitchen, wearing a goofy apron that was too large for him, and dangled around his ankles, upon which was the ever present strange metal anklet he always wore. It was something she'd tried to ask him about once, but he'd avoided the question, and the Elder had popped up interrupting, getting a tidbit of a view before she'd pummeled him to the ground, the topic forgotten quickly. But ever since that day, she'd wondered. Why did he wear it? It was so large and clunky, it couldn't be comfortable….

Every time she wondered about small nuances about him, she'd forced herself to shove them aside. She probably knew the truth deep down inside, had she admitted it to herself… but their friendship was so strong, that she couldn't bring herself to give in to those instinctual inhibitions. After all…he was sweet, kind, and a decent cook.

"So you're off the hook for the week, eh?" He asked, plopping down on the couch next to her, sitting cross legged, apron crooked across his chest as he grinned cheerfully over at her.

"Yeah, Sister Kate and Remington are gone for ten days." She yawned and grinned wider. "I would have been over earlier, but they insisted on all of us new recruits helping carry luggage. I don't get it, why does HE need to go with her to go inspect this Apostle person?" It was a long standing relationship that had developed over the past long months between Rosette and the older priest. At first, she had hated his guts…but then slowly, his kindness had won her over, and she'd started developing a crush on the blonde man.

Chrno had watched it all, and listened patiently with a smile, humoring her childish blushes, and embarrassed denials. "On the plus side, no one will catch you if you sneak out."

"Yup! That's the good part." She grinned. "Hey, maybe we could even camp out under the tree or something."

"I doubt the Elder would allow that." He laughed lightly. "He's in charge after all, which in and of itself is a dangerous thing."

"Damn straight. He just waltzed into the girl's locker room this morning! Do you believe that! As if he OWNS the place!"

"Hah! I hope you taught him a good lesson."

"OH yes… I doubt he'll be hearing straight for a week, with the amount of soap thrown into his ears."

Chrno just laughed at that. "Good. It's about time someone cleaned SOME part of him."

"Honestly, HOW do you manage to live with that old coot!? I mean, sheesh, he's impossible to live with for a DAY and here you've been here, what, years?"

He just grinned, shaking his head, and stealing a wad of cookie dough from the bowl. "Well, the good thing is, he's not interested in boys…otherwise I think I'd have been in trouble a long time ago." He put his hands behind his head and leaned back. "He's not that bad, when there's no temptation in sight."

"Ugh, don't you dare go there." She closed her eyes a bit, staring up at the ceiling, where a couple odd demon fetishes hung. ."Gah… is there nothing kooky in this place? Even the kitchen is tainted with demon filth."

To the side, she missed a slight cringe from her dark haired companion, but it wasn't because she was busy staring at the ceiling.

No, it was because abruptly, the whole cottage plunged into pitch blackness.

Now ordinarily, one might think that such a situation would be any young teen's dream-like fantasy. And certainly the brief thought of excitement did cross Rosette's mind.

Just before the explosion came.

An enormous flash of light followed by a shuddering boom that was like something straight out of the war threw the two flat to the ground, couch toppling over on top of them, thankfully protecting them as the back of the couch and the seat kept the heavy beams of the cottage from striking them flat on the head. The whole cottage shook, buckled, and shuddered, as a fierce blast of wind swept around them, blowing debris and dust into their eyes, and forcing them to cough.

Within minutes, all was still, save the distant sounds of wailing and frightened screams.

Rosette opened her eyes, feeling her lungs choking up as she coughed roughly. "What the hell…?" She peered around, but it was nearly pitch black. All she could see was the faint glow of moonlight from the upturned end of the couch. A brush of movement at her cheek told her that she was laying almost on top of the smaller boy. "Ugh. You ok? In one piece?"

"I think so." He replied, turning his head so that she could barely see his eyes in the dim light. "You?"

"Uhn, aside from cramped as all hell…" she muttered irritated. "What the HELL happened."

"Nothing good." He replied, and the tone in his voice dark and rather foreboding, startling her a little. "Come on, let's get out of here." He pushed out from beneath her, squirming his way to the edge of the couch, and shoving some debris away, enough for him to squeeze out. With some growling and muttered cursing, Rosette emerged, hair astray and dirt smudged on her face. "Stupid couch…"

Her words were abruptly cut off however, by the sight before them.

Whatever had hit the Order, there wasn't much of the main building left standing. It had been completely reduced to a pile of rubble, with only a few main portions standing, one of which thankfully, Rosette noted, as her hands rose to her mouth in shock, was the chapel. "Oh my god…." She whispered, unable to fathom what lay before them. "What…what happened?"

A low growl at her side startled her. "Demons." Her eyes snapped over to look at Chrno, seeing his fists clenched tightly, and his eyes intense on the rubble.

"Demons…." She muttered her own tone slowly starting to match his. "Why? Why would they attack here?!"

"The Order trains demon exorcists." He replied in a low voice. "And it has a history of being unfriendly with demons…" His voice lowered more, and she had to strain to hear him. "But I think there's more to it than that."

"We have to help them." She said firmly, grabbing his arm and pulling him after her. Surprisingly, he didn't protest. "We have to help the wounded…God…please spare them…"


End file.
